1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal processing device which processes audio signals and outputs the audio signals and, more particularly, to an audio signal processing device characterized by control of display on a display portion. Further, the invention relates to a program for making a computer controlling the audio signal processing device perform such a control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an audio signal processing device such as a digital mixer which processes audio signals and outputs the audio signals, indicators have been provided near corresponding setting controls for setting values of parameters for the signal processing to display the values of the parameters set by the controls (see U.S. 2002/0156547 A1, particularly FIG. 8 of the drawings and section 0061 in the description).
As the aforementioned indicator, an indicator is used that presents information by presence or absence of lighting of a light source such as an LED (light emitting diode). For example, for a digital mixer described in above described document, it is described that many LEDs are arranged around a dial-type control and used as indicators indicating a value set by the control. In this case, when the value of the parameter is changed by operation of the control, the LEDs are turned on or turned off to indicate a new value after the change.
Further, there is also a known mixer that is provided with a function of storing a set of values of parameters used for the signal processing as scene data and recalling this in accordance with operation of an operator. Also in performance of such a recall, the values of the parameters might be changed from the values before the recall, and therefore when the values are changed, the LEDs are turned on or turned off to indicate new values after the change.
There are conceivable use environments of the digital mixer including not only a bright place such as the outdoors during the daylight hours but also a dark place such as the inside of a concert hall with the illumination turned off. Even in such a dark place, the set contents of the parameter can be optically easily grasped by providing the aforementioned indicators implemented by the LEDs.
However, the display portion in such a conventional digital mixer simply displays the set value of the parameter at the time of performing display. This configuration presents no particular problem when the display is performed in accordance with the change in the value of the parameter by the operation using the control. This is because the operator of course grasps what parameter he or she changed, and the changes are performed step by step in this case, so that the operator can easily grasp how the parameter was changed as a whole as well as the current value.
However, there has been a problem at the time when many settings are changed in an instant such as when the scene data is recalled. More specifically, in such a case, the values of the parameters before the recall will be displayed before the recall and the values of the parameters relating to the recalled scene data will be displayed after the recall, but there has been a problem that it is difficult for the operator to grasp, even taking a look at the display after the recall, how and what parameters were changed by the recall of the scene data. Although it is possible to have some grasp by comparison between the displays before and after the recall, typically the controls are considerably large in number in the digital mixer, and therefore it is considerably difficult to grasp the presence or absence and the degree of change and memorize all of them at the instant of the recall.
To solve the aforementioned problems, there is also a known digital mixer including a function of changing only the display to that based on the scene data before the recalled scene data is reflected in the signal processing so as to be able to verify in advance the values of the parameters relating to the scene data. In the case of a device including such a function, it is possible to verify, before the actual change of the contents of the signal processing, to what values the values of the parameters will be changed, thus reducing the risk of recalling wrong scene data and performing wrong signal processing. Besides, several times changes and comparisons between the display of the currently set values of the parameters and the display of the values of the parameters relating to the scene data make it possible for the operator to have some grasp how the parameters will be changed by the recall of the scene data. The operation, however, is troublesome and time consuming and, in addition, once the scene data is reflected in the signal processing, the operator needs to remember the changed parts.
In an actual use of the digital mixer, it has been often performed that a plurality of scene data with the values of only a part among many parameters being changed are created and recalled in sequence for use, and there has been a strong demand to grasp where the values of the parameters relating to the recalled scene data are different from the values set before the recall, but the conventional digital mixers could not sufficiently meet the demand as described above.